{{Short description|Canadian actor}} {{Infobox person | name = Nigel Shawn Williams | image = <!-- just the filename, without the File: or Image: prefix or enclosing brackets --> | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Jamaica | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} or {{Death-date and age|Month DD, YYYY|Month DD, YYYY}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = film, television and stage actor, theatre director | known_for = former co-artistic director of Factory Theatre }}
'''Nigel Shawn Williams''' is a Canadian actor and theatre director from Toronto, Ontario.<ref name=torontolife>[http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2013/01/24/the-interview-factory-theatre/ "The Interview: Factory Theatre’s artistic directors Nina Lee Aquino and Nigel Shawn Williams"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129063025/http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2013/01/24/the-interview-factory-theatre/ |date=2013-11-29 }}. ''Toronto Life'', January 24, 2013.</ref>
Williams was born in Jamaica and moved to Canada with his family in childhood.<ref name=eschews>"Nigel Williams eschews all labels save one: good actor". ''Toronto Star'', January 8, 1995.</ref> A 1990 graduate of the University of Windsor,<ref name=eschews /> his early stage roles included Thomas Coyle's ''The Tyrant of Pontus'', Suzan-Lori Parks' ''Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom'', Robert E. Sherwood's ''The Petrified Forest'' and George Bernard Shaw's ''The Six of Calais''.<ref name=eschews />
== Career == Williams won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role – Play in 1995 for his performance as Paul in John Guare's ''Six Degrees of Separation''.<ref>"Dora Winners". ''Toronto Star'', June 27, 1995.</ref>
He won a second Dora as an actor in 2012 for his performance as Lincoln in Obsidian Theatre's production of Suzan-Lori Parks' ''Topdog/Underdog'',<ref>{{cite web | title=Dora Awards: Recipients | url=http://tapa.ca/files/2012_NOMINEES_RECIPIENTS.pdf | accessdate=2012-10-07 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194310/http://tapa.ca/files/2012_NOMINEES_RECIPIENTS.pdf | archivedate=2013-10-29 }}</ref> and was a nominee in 2013 for his performance as Henry in Canadian Stage's production of David Mamet's ''Race''. As a director, he won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play/Musical in 2006 for his direction of Colleen Wagner's ''The Monument'', and was nominated in 2011 for his direction of Anusree Roy's ''Brothel #9''.
His film and television credits include the television series ''The City'', ''The Famous Jett Jackson'', ''The Jane Show'', ''XIII: The Conspiracy'' and ''The Listener'', and the films ''Phantom Punch'', ''Down in the Delta'', ''Vendetta'', ''Jett Jackson: The Movie'', ''John Q'' and ''Brown Girl Begins''.
== Filmography ==
=== Film === {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ !Year !Title !Role !class="unsortable" | Notes |- |2000 |''Tribulation'' |Victor | |- |2002 |''John Q.'' |News Anchor | |- |2008 |''Phantom Punch'' |Toby Liston | |- |2017 |''Brown Girl Begins'' |Papa Legba / Jab-Jab / Brukfoot Sam | |- |2020 |''Two Deaths of Henry Baker'' |Carlos | |- |2026 |''Psycho Killer'' |Jane's Father | |}
=== Television === {| class="wikitable sortable" !Year !Title !Role !class="unsortable" | Notes |- |1993 |''E.N.G.'' |Candidate |Episode: "Full Disclosure" |- |1995 |''Forever Knight'' |Harry |Episode: "Partners of the Month" |- |1997 |''F/X: The Series'' |Stickman |Episode: "High Roller" |- |1998–2001 |data-sort-value="Famous Jett Jackson, The" | ''The Famous Jett Jackson'' |Artemus / Nigel Essex |3 episodes |- |1999 |''Vendetta'' |Samuel Foster | rowspan="2" |Television film |- |1999 |''At the Mercy of a Stranger'' |Ben Prentiss |- |1999 |data-sort-value="City, The" | ''The City'' |Detective White |4 episodes |- |2000 |data-sort-value="Wonderful World of Disney, The" | ''The Wonderful World of Disney'' |Merle Brady |Episode: "The Loretta Claiborne Story" |- |2000 |''Deliberate Intent'' |Judge Williams | rowspan="2" |Television film |- |2001 |''Jett Jackson: The Movie'' |Artemus / Nigel Essex |- |2002 |''Odyssey 5'' |Dr. Alex Stratton |Episode: "Dark at the End of the Tunnel" |- |2006–2007 |data-sort-value="Jane Show, The" | ''The Jane Show'' |Desmond |14 episodes |- |2008 |''XIII: The Conspiracy'' |Ellery Shipley |2 episodes |- |2010 |''Unnatural History'' |Dr. Charles Wincott |Episode: "The Griffin Gang" |- |2011 |data-sort-value="Listener, The" | ''The Listener'' |Wes Everdon |Episode: "Desperate Hours" |- |2014 |data-sort-value="Day Late and a Dollar Short, A" | ''A Day Late and a Dollar Short'' |George |Television film |- |2014 |''Saving Hope'' |Malcolm Eldente |Episode: "The Way We Were" |- |2015 |''Heroes Reborn'' |Dr. Don Mercer |Episode: "The Lion's Den" |- |2017 |''Suits'' |Judge Ward |2 episodes |- |2021 |''Death She Wrote'' |Mr. Tollson |Television film |- |2024 |''Murdoch Mysteries'' |Conrad Peach |Episode: "Spirits in the Night" |- |2024 |''Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent'' |Erin Green |Episode: "Good Neighbours" |- |2025 |''Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy'' |John Davis |Episode: "Billy" |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0790088}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Nigel Shawn}} Category:Living people Category:Canadian male television actors Category:Canadian male film actors Category:Canadian male stage actors Category:Black Canadian male actors Category:Canadian theatre directors Category:Jamaican emigrants to Canada Category:Male actors from Toronto Category:University of Windsor alumni Category:21st-century Canadian male actors Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Dora Mavor Moore Award winners
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